News about Architecture & Sustainable Design

An exhibition displaying the architectural design work of 20 seniors in the architecture and sustainable design major at Pennsylvania College of Technology will be on display April 8-15 in The Gallery at Penn College.

A reception for “Architecture & Sustainable Design: Senior Capstone Projects” will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. (with remarks at 5 p.m.) on Friday, April 8, in the gallery on the third floor of The Madigan Library. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

Each graduating senior was tasked with the design and development of a significant building in an urban setting. Students will present design process drawings, 3D models and computer renderings depicting their individual design solutions.

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Student Affairs’ Culture Cafe, held Thursday evening in the Capitol Eatery, allowed the campus community to “Eat, Drink and Travel!” – exploring global learning opportunities while indulging in a Spanish-themed fest. On hand to preview imminent trips, and to whet students’ appetite for enlightening travel in future semesters, were faculty members leading excursions to various destinations: a human services and restorative justice trip to Anchorage, working with YWCA Alaska; immersion into Italy’s sumptuous cuisine; a tour among the iconic automakers of France and Italy; and a firsthand appreciation of the architecture of Spain.

Six teams of third-year students in Architectural Design Studio V pursued the literal “seat of knowledge” in fashioning functional furniture out of corrugated cardboard on each side of the recent Spring Break. Offered annually since at least 2016, the creative exercise gives the groups two weeks each to design and build full-scale chairs from sheets of the recyclable material that integrate the concepts of function, aesthetics, ergonomics and detail. After their deadline at 10:15 p.m. Thursday, the teams – which made good use of The Dr. Welch Workshop: A Makerspace at Penn College downstairs – reconvened on the second floor of the Hager Lifelong Education Center at 8 the following morning to share their respective projects with peers and judges (who included Geoffrey M. Campbell, assistant professor and department head for architecture, and Rob A. Wozniak, associate professor of architecture). The presentations, as varied as the chairs themselves, gave voice to the students’ development, construction and assembly of their creations – as well as occasional struggles on the path to completion. “If it fails, it fails,” one said of the risk-taking approach. “At least we tried!”

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“Girl Power,” aimed at helping ninth graders explore potential careers and boost their confidence through encouraging mentorship by professionals, continued over the weekend at Penn College.

The Feb. 27 agenda included hands-on activities in the college’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning lab and its architecture studio; as well as a Q&A with representatives of JEM Group, a woman-owned construction services firm based in Camp Hill.

The program – a mix of virtual meet-ups on Monday evenings and on-campus sessions on Sunday afternoons – runs through April 24.

An articulation agreement with Rochester Institute of Technology will streamline the postgraduate admissions process for Pennsylvania College of Technology students seeking to complete a master’s degree in architecture there.

The just-signed agreement provides qualified students in Penn College’s four-year architecture and sustainable design major with a smooth pathway to RIT’s graduate program. Interested students would need to apply in the final year of their bachelor’s study, complete all requisite courses with a 3.0 GPA, and fulfill other standard admissions requirements.

Upon satisfactory completion of their Penn College degree, accepted students would automatically be granted advanced placement into the second year of RIT’s master’s program.

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A new Bachelor of Architecture degree at Pennsylvania College of Technology, set to begin accepting students in Fall 2023 (and possibly sooner), will dramatically shorten graduates’ path to professional licensure and markedly broaden their employment opportunities.

With Thursday’s approval by the Penn College Board of Directors, the Construction and Architectural Technologies Division can pursue prestigious accreditation from the National Architectural Accrediting Board: a multiyear undertaking and a long-held objective of the institution’s architecture faculty.

“It’s a tremendous step forward for us,” said Geoffrey M. Campbell, assistant professor and department head, who presented the proposal to the board with Ellyn A. Lester, assistant dean of construction and architectural technologies. “This has always been the goal. Any architecture program would prefer to be an NAAB-accredited program, and that’s always been what we were hoping for.”

The new major adds a fifth year to the current bachelor’s framework, effectively providing students with a steppingstone to career advancement that doesn’t involve postgraduate study.

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Campus gratitude extends to the sports arena in this “Give Thanks” installment, as Wildcat student-athlete Megan A. Bugbee shares appreciation for those whose philanthropy has benefited her – in and out of the classroom.

Bugbee, from Geneseo, New York, was recruited as a member of the Penn College women’s soccer team and has found academic satisfaction as a building science and sustainable design: architectural technology concentration student. Not surprising, considering that the ingredients for success are the same in both worlds: “a level of passion (and) hard work,” whether hitting the books or moving the ball.

Writing for the college’s blog as Thanksgiving approaches, the accomplished senior cited the enhancements she and her teammates have experienced as a result of financial benefactors.

“During my time as a student-athlete, UPMC Field was built and several other facility improvements were completed,” Bugbee said in a Q&A. “Donor support is very much appreciated, and I am grateful for our Wildcat Club members who contribute to help improve our programs.”

Twenty-two Penn College students who enjoy volunteering their time – including members of student organizations and the Wildcat women’s basketball team – gathered with Shannon L. Skaluba, student organization specialist, in CC Commons on Saturday to write heartfelt messages of gratitude in nearly 450 holiday cards for military personnel. The cards were donated by Sarah R. Yoder, coordinator of admissions operations, and her husband, Adam J., an industrial technology specialist with Workforce Development; as well as Chet Beaver, coordinator of veteran and military services; and Skaluba.

The cards will be distributed with the help of Sarah, who has worked with the United Soldiers and Sailors of America program for the last several years. Her brother, Michael Shott, is a first lieutenant in the Army on active duty, currently serving stateside following a recent deployment.

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Layering a respect for history over their career-focused thirst for knowledge, students in two of Rob A. Wozniak’s architecture courses recently benefited from eye-opening visits to the Lycoming County Resource Management Services landfill in Allenwood and the soon-to-open John R. T. Ryan Restaurant & Brewery in a section of downtown Williamsport under extensive redevelopment.

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“Boohaus,” the third annual costume competition within Penn College’s architecture program, provided an inviting outlet for students already quite accustomed to displaying their handiwork in the second-floor studio. Two groups of seniors participated, each coincidentally drawing inspiration from the studs that serve as fundamental construction support for any successful design. Winning first prize of $120 was the team of Declan W. Gatchell, of Manchester; David T. Hornak, of Spring Mills; Alejandro F. Huaman, of Dingmans Ferry; and Ediel O. Rodriguez-Polanco, of Montoursville – whose members adopted personas that included “Jack (o’ lantern) Stud,” “King Stud” and “Metal Stud.” Second-prize winners, collecting $55 for their efforts, were the “Steel Studs”: Megan A. Bugbee, of Geneseo, New York; Marcie M. Harman, of Nescopeck; and Jason R. Hollenbach, Reading. Rodriguez-Polanco is an architecture and sustainable design major; the others are enrolled in building science and sustainable design: architectural technology concentration. Adding to the fun in the Carl Building Technologies Center were refreshments and an imaginatively themed music playlist. (“Werewolves of London” or “Season of the Witch,” anyone?) Three members of the architectural technology faculty served as judges for the contest, the name of which playfully invokes the Bauhaus school of design: Daniel L. Brooks, instructor; Naim N. Jabbour, assistant professor; and Tuna Saka, associate professor.

The president of the National Association of Women in Construction visited Penn College this past week, engaging faculty/staff and students with the organization’s promise of “Leading builders. Building leaders.” Doreen Bartoldus, water/wastewater construction management leader at Jacobs Engineering, provided an overview of the educational and networking opportunities available to NAWIC chapters. The visit was facilitated by Ellyn A. Lester, assistant dean of construction and architectural technologies, a longtime friend and colleague of the presenter. Bartoldus has more than 45 years of professional experience as a civil/environmental engineer and construction manager, participating in billion-dollar construction projects including water distribution and treatment facilities, tunnels, community park and recreation facilities, and highways. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of New York University (now Tandem School Of Engineering) and a Master of Business Administration in Sustainable Business from Green Mountain College. Bartoldus is a registered professional engineer in New York, a certified construction manager, a LEED Green Associate and an Envision Sustainability Professional. In addition to Friday’s luncheon in the Thompson Professional Development Center, she presented “Build It/They Will Come” to a College Avenue Labs audience the night before.

Students in two sections of Rob A. Wozniak’s “Sustainability: Building and Living Green” course were visited this week by Keystone Wood Products Association representatives, who talked about the benefits of wood as a renewable construction material.

The classes – comprising students in architecture and sustainable design, architectural technology and other construction-related majors – heard Monday afternoon from Ken Nuttle, KWPA education specialist; and the following morning from Stephanie Phillips-Taggart, marketing coordinator for the association’s 11-county membership area.

“Wood plays an incredible role in our lives on a regular basis,” Tuesday’s guest said, reinforcing her message with videos profiling regional hardwood businesses and the importance of healthy forest management.

Campuswide ingenuity and the generosity of a longtime supporter have produced the Fish Real Estate Leadership Challenge Course at Penn College. Architecture and concrete science students; General Services personnel; and Rob Cooley, associate professor of anthropology/environmental science, played vital roles in developing and building the course. Brent and Daria Fish funded the project in honor of Brent’s father, William H. Fish, a respected businessman, community leader and friend of the college. A wide variety of student and industry groups will use the course to enhance problem-solving, leadership, teamwork and communication skills. “The purpose of a challenge course is to create structured, physical outdoor activities that draw people together,” Cooley explains in a video on the college’s YouTube channel. “It’s not me up at the whiteboard or me at the computer telling them what to do. It’s me presenting a challenge and stepping back. The collective effort is what solves the problem and creates the learning experience.”

For two years, Lauryn A. Stauffer has seen only male faces in her electronics classes at Pennsylvania College of Technology. This fall, she’ll at least see multiple women leaders within the School of Engineering Technologies.

The school devoted to careers rooted in science, technology, engineering and math boasts three female assistant deans.

Kathleen D. Chesmel and Ellyn A. Lester were hired in late spring to head the Materials Science and Engineering Technologies Division and the Construction and Architectural Technologies Division, respectively. They join longtime college employee Stacey C. Hampton, who is assistant dean of industrial and computer technologies.

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The Fish Real Estate Leadership Challenge Course, the creation of which involved the same collaborative spirit that it will nurture in those who use it, was dedicated Aug. 11 on the wooded southcentral side of Pennsylvania College of Technology.

The Challenge Course – a remarkable project funded by Brent and Daria Fish in memory of Brent’s father, William H. Fish – “will foster leadership and team-building skills for generations of students, faculty, alumni and industry partners,” said Loni N. Kline, vice president for college relations. Brent is president of Fish Real Estate, and Daria is head of corporate communications for OxiWear.

An interdisciplinary focus was reflected throughout the development and construction process, which involved the college’s General Services Department, architectural technology and concrete science classes, a helping of off-campus inspiration, and a picnic table donated by the Sigma Pi philanthropic fraternity.

The intricate design includes a bridge that honors the Fish family’s appreciation for the outdoors: stainless steel railings resembling fly-fishing rods, with hooks dangling from lines that drop to a dry creek bed below.

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